Chapter 276 - Ziyang Sect (1/2)

Chapter 276 Ziyang SectThe sun was setting by the time they arrived at the foot of the mountain. Since they were unable to travel by flying swords and the Ziyang Sect was another half-day of journey away, they had no choice but to spend the night in a small town. They would continue by horse carriage at daybreak tomorrow.

Xiao Chen understood that worrying was pointless at this moment. Huangfu Xin’er would be safe for the time being now that she was at the Ziyang Sect. He spent the night taking in and expelling Qi, restoring his cultivation to the Lv 3 of Core Forming Realm.

When the first ray of light descended, Li Heng found them two horse-drawn carriages and the group hastened to the gate of the sect. Xiao Chen learned a thing or two about his circumstances along the journey.

This place was hundreds of thousands of miles away from the Middle Continent. Due to the separation that the Thousand Summits Mountain presented, the people here rarely interacted with outsiders and the place was subsequently less developed. Even with the advent of the Annihilation Times, most cultivators were still in the Qi Refining Realm and Foundation Building Realm. Being a Core Forming Realm here would be enough to qualify one as an expert. A Nascent Soul Realm cultivator was like a mythical existence.

Ziyang Sect was located in a small town called the Spirits and Immortals Town and held quite a great reputation among locals. The commoners here tend to regard the sect’s disciples as Immortals.

The horse carriages finally arrived at the gate of the sect at noon. Xiao Chen climbed off the carriage impatiently. The buildings here weren’t grandiose. Moreover, they were rather simple and plain. They resembled the ones in the sect that he was in when he first entered the Violet Manor, the Teal Jade Sect.

When he climbed up a set of bluestone stairs, he suddenly felt as if he had returned to the Teal Jade Sect and a wave of heart-rendering nostalgia swept him.

Two disciples had already gone ahead of time to report their return to the sect. The Sect Leader, Zi Yang, was waiting in the public square. When he saw his disciple, Wang Luo, returning safely after going missing for half a month, he walked up to him with quick steps. “Luo’er, are you alright?”

Xiao Chen raised his head and saw an amicable-looking middle-aged man. It reminded him of the time he had spent in Teal Jade Sect, where he had met Liu Fenghuang’s father, Liu Yunzheng. His sect wasn’t large and his cultivation was average, but he treated every disciple like his child.

Melancholy silently pierced his heart. He smiled. “I’m fine. I apologize for worrying you, Master.”

“That’s good, that’s good.” Zi Yang was delighted. With his Lv 5 Core Forming Realm cultivation, he naturally wasn’t able to tell that he was talking to a fake and that his real disciple had died tragically three days ago.

Right then, an eighteen-year-old young lady in purple walked over to them and said, “There, he’s back. Ask him if I told him to find the snow lotus herb in the Thousand Summits Mountain!” She then gave Xiao Chen a quick glare.

Zi Yang turned around and flicked his sleeve. “How dare you bring this up on your own!”

Xiao Chen knew from Wang Luo’s memories that this young lady was called Zi Sha. She was the lady that Wang Luo longed for when he was alive and the lady that he died for. Xiao Chen hadn’t imagined that she would be such a hard-hearted person.

He smiled. “Master, please don’t blame Junior Sister. It has nothing to do with her. I wanted to bring home the snow lotus herb atop the Thousand Summits Mountain as a birthday gift for you.”

Zi Yang’s forty-year-old birthday was in three days. He also learned this from Wang Luo’s memories.

Zi Sha glared at him. “You’re not that dumb at least!”

Meanwhile, a young man in white was standing in a distant hall and looking at Xiao Chen in disbelief. This man was Mo Hengyu, the one who personally killed Wang Luo three days ago.

Zi Yang was deeply gratified. Suddenly, Xiao Chen remembered that there was something more urgent to attend to. Just as he was about to ask where was the lady that they rescued the other day, they heard the panicked voice of a disciple trying to make a report from the bottom of the mountain.

The disciple hastily ran up and explained, “We’re done for! Disciples from the Heaven and Earth Sect are attacking us!”

He had just finished his report when another disciple was sent flying through the air. Then there came peals of laughter. “The time has come for the promise we made three years ago. Heaven and Earth Sect is here to pay a visit!”

The voice had barely faded when a man dressed in yellow flew up to the square with a folding fan in hand. Behind him were seven to eight disciples. Zi Yang roared in anger, “He Shaoyi! What do you mean by this?”

Many disciples of Ziyang Sect came rushing over with their swords in hand. He Shaoyi raised his head and guffawed. “The time has come for the promise we made three years ago! Who from the Ziyang Sect will answer my battle challenge?” He pressed two fingers together and summoned a brilliant Immortal’s Sword.

Everyone gasped. “He used his Qi to form a sword! He has entered the Core Forming Realm!”

Zi Yang’s face turned as white as a sheet of paper. Frowning, Xiao Chen walked up to him and asked quietly, “Master, a few days ago…”

Zi Yang said, “Luo’er, retreat for now. We can talk again tomorrow.”

He Shaoyi raised his head and laughed heartily when he saw no one came up to answer his challenge. “What’s wrong? Is there no one in Ziyang Sect who dares to challenge me? Then, as promised, you’ll have to leave this place. From today onward, this place belongs to our Heaven and Earth Sect!”

No one dared to say anything. Zi Yang’s expression turned even ghastlier. He Shaoyi was still a manageable opponent three years ago, but he was now a Core Forming Realm cultivator. Who among his disciples was a match for him?

Suddenly, an indifferent voice rang out. “Since you’re so desperate for a fight, I’ll play along with you.” The speaker was none other than Xiao Chen.

“Luo’er, leave now! Don’t be hasty!” Zi Yang said in a panic. The others were flabbergasted as well. Did the disciple, who typically found all sorts of excuses not to cultivate, take the wrong medicine? Or did he forget to take his medicine?

He Shaoyi smiled contemptuously. “Wang Luo? You hadn’t suffered enough three years ago, had you?”